


i bet on losing dogs

by saintsansa



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Arguing, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Grumpy Old Men, Major Character Injury, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Strangers to Lovers, like constant arguing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 02:21:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30014655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saintsansa/pseuds/saintsansa
Summary: ❝ 𝐈'𝐋𝐋 𝐁𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄, 𝐈'𝐌 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄. ❞[tlou part 1 & 2][joel miller x oc][k.h.]
Relationships: Ellie (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s), Joel (The Last of Us)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. i bet on losing dogs

..⃗. [i bet on losing dogs] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

..⃗. [summary] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

☄︎. *. ⋆BEVERLY CHEN IS A WOMAN who fears no one. She's seen more than most should have and done more than anyone. Blood stains her hands and ghosts follow her every step. For so long she's thought that it would be her against the world, but a grumpy man with the same attitude begins to change her life.

OR... 

an angry woman desperate to lead a normal life with her children finds herself stuck with one last mission. ⋆ . * . ☄︎

..⃗. [cast] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-  
[beverly chen. ming-na wen.] 

╰┈➤ ❝ [you should be thanking me!] ❞

..⃗. [additional cast] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

↬ joel miller. troy baker.  
↬ ellie williams. ashley johnson.  
↬ rina hardin. kiki layne.  
↬ luke jeong. alan s. kim.  
↬ cal jeong. john cho.  
↬ the last of us cast. themselves.

╰┈➤ ❝ [nothing ever ends poetically. it ends, and we turn it into poetry. all that blood was never once beautiful, it was just red.] ❞

..⃗. [soundtrack] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

╰┈➤ BEVERLY'S SOUNDTRACK!

i. o death jen titus ii. little dark age mgmt iii. feel something bea miller iv. judgement kensuke ushio v. led gotou, omenxiii vi. you should see me in a crown billie eilish vii. floor 555 xxxtentacion viii. oxygen bones ix. who dat boy tyler the creator x. i'm a murderer freddie dredd

╰┈➤ JOEL'S SOUNDTRACK!

i. i am a man of constant sorrow soggy bottom boys ii. take a slice glass animals iii. burning pile mother mother iv. lost cause beck v. saint bernard lincoln vi. little lion man mumford and sons vii. through the valley shawn james viii. old yeller joji ix. wayfaring stranger johnny cash x. blood on my name the brothers bright

╰┈➤ JOEL & BEVERLY'S SOUNDTRACK!

i. i bet on losing dogs mitski ii. no children the mountain goats iii. like real people do hozier iv. evermore taylor swift ft bon iver v. haunt me (x3) teen suicide vi. new flesh current joys vii. last words of a shooting star mitski viii. become the warm jets current joys ix. work song hozier x. landslide oh wonder


	2. won’t you spare me over another year?

..⃗. [won't you spare me over another year?] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

SUMMER

"SOMETIMES I THINK I'M NOT MADE FOR THIS WORLD," her fingers shakily intertwined before forming into a tight fist. Letting out an uneven breath, her bloodied hands reached up to comb through her greasy black hair. Tears stung her bloodshot eyes. Through her tears, she looked up towards the children's drawing taped to the midnight blue bedroom wall. Each crayon scribble was labeled with the name of a family member; Mom, Dad, Katie, etc. 

A small droplet landed on her thumb, grabbing her attention. A tiny dot of scarlet filled her with dread and guilt, reminding her of her monstrous actions. This was her doing. She hadn't meant to. There were so many fucking infected, though. A gentle hand rested on her right shoulder, eliciting a flinch from the woman. "You're safe, Bev." The voice was soothing and calm - maybe even a little pitiful. She hated that. She hated the woman's pity. The last thing she needed was anyone's pity.

Pushing herself off of the child's bed, she rubbed her face with her dirty hands. Her eyes looked up to meet the soft brown ones of Marlene. "I..." She trailed off, not finding sense in the words that rushed through her mind. Her friend shook her head, understanding all she needed to. "I can't keep doing this." She finally managed to croak out. The bags under her eyes told a story of a tired and desperate woman.

"I understand," Marlene's voice was hesitant, "but I need you for one more mission."

Letting out a string of curses, a harsh glare came over her eyes. Her body shoved past Marlene without a word. Anger bubbled up in her. That was something she felt a lot recently. Bruises of various colors littered her knuckles - the paintings of the rage that consumed her.

She knew how they looked at her; they were scared of her and she hated that. She wanted nothing more than to be friends with everyone, but her temper was just too damn short. At the end of most days, she felt more alone than anyone on this planet. 

"Bev!" The voice shouted from behind her. The woman stopped in her tracks, tightening her fists before letting them hang free. "I'm serious. I need you for this. It's important."

"I need to get home to Luke and Rina."

"I know," Marlene spoke softly as she approached her friend, "but we need you more than they do." Resting her hand on the woman's shoulder, she lets out a small sigh. Her hand squeezes the woman's shoulder before walking off.

Glancing around the small apartment, Beverly let out a small breath. Sunken eyes land on a small bottle of pink nail polish. Kneeling down, she grabbed the small bottle and opened it. A smile grew on her lips when she noticed that it was still somehow usable. There may have only been a little bit that wasn't dry, but she figured some was better than none. Stuffing it in her front jean pocket, she pushed herself up.

Taking a step, her boot made contact with something wet and sticky. Her gaze turned down, taking in the corpse of the familiar woman, she let out a sigh. 'It was an accident,' she told herself. Stepping over the body, she made her way out of the apartment to catch up with Marlene.

The woman was waiting outside, leaning against the railing of the hallway. "Look-"

Beverly cut her off, holding a hand up to stop her. "Let's get this over with." Pushing past her friend, she bounded down the steps towards the small car they had gotten working a few months prior. Climbing into the passenger seat, she keeps her eyes ahead, hoping to keep her nerves about her. 

The further Marlene drove down the road, the more the surroundings became familiar. Furrowing her light and scarred eyebrows, Beverly glances towards the driver. "I take it you're going through with your plan to attack the district?"

"We are."

Nodding slowly, the black-haired woman rolled her eyes. One thing she had never understood was Marlene's hatred for the districts. Did she want a Lord of the Flies type of world? Letting out a sigh, Beverly rested her head against the window of the small car.

As her eyes slowly closed, she was thrust awake when Marlene slammed on the brakes. The car skidded across the rough pavement before colliding with a body. As the car finally stopped short, both women panted with wide eyes.

Throwing her seatbelt off and flinging the car door open, Beverly pushed herself out of the car to look at the body on the road. The body remained still in the middle of the road. With a shaky breath, she slowly made her way towards it. Marlene slowly walks a couple of feet across from Beverly. The two share a glance before turning back to the body. Before they can react, the person begins firing at them.

Shouts and curses spill from their lips as they run back into the car. Marlene's body slams against the driver's seat with a grunt. Her hand holds her thigh tightly as blood spills past her fingers. Pulling out her pistol, Beverly took a deep breath before glancing out of the car. The person was gone. "Fuck," she hissed before turning to Marlene, "you have to move. We have to get out of here."

"I don't think I can move." Marlene winces as she looks down at her wound.

Rolling her eyes, Beverly pushes herself out of the car. After rounding the front, she wraps her arm around Marlene's waist and pulls her out of the car. The woman shouts in pain as they make their way over to the passenger side. Setting her in the car, Beverly quickly made her way over to the driver's side and attempts to start the car, only to be met with a sputtering engine. "Fuck!" she shouts and slams her hands against the steering wheel. "Alright, we have to walk."

"I can't-"

"Well, you fucking have to!" Beverly shouted as she ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Marlene," she spoke with a more reserved tone, "we have to go. That guy's gonna come back and I don't think he's gonna just graze us next time."

With a soft sigh, Marlene and Beverly share a look. The woman nods in agreement before starting to pull herself out of the car. Clinging to her friend, she shuffles away from the car and away from the area. The two duck into a slim alleyway between a cluster of tall buildings. Both pant harder with every step; exhaustion nearly leaks from every pore in their bodies. Sweat begins to drip down their foreheads and staining the armpits of their shirts. "El, I can't." She huffed through gritted teeth, holding the wound on her thigh tightly. Blood continuously leaked from the graze.

A soft curse slipped from Beverly's lips as she gently set her friend down against a rusted air conditioning unit. Running a hand through her knotted hair, her eyes darted around the area for any sign of hostiles. 'Think, Bev, think.' She told herself as she leaned down, her hands against her knees. Loud ringing filled her ears the more she concentrated on the ground.

The sound of a bird singing above her grabbed her attention. Looking up, she chuckled at the stupid idea that had popped into her head. "Lene, we have to get on high ground."

"Fuck off." Marlene hissed, rolling her eyes at her friend's stupid plan. "Even if I wanted to, I can't go up any stairs."

"We have to."

"Who's this 'we'?" Marlene snapped as she sent a sharp glare to her friend. "Last time I checked, you wanted to leave the Fireflies."

Rolling her eyes, Beverly wrapped an arm around Marlene's waist and hoisted her off of the air conditioning unit. "But you still need me for one more mission, remember?" As they neared a broken door of the building to their left, a loud explosion could be heard from the distance. Marlene let out a soft string of curses before shaking her head. She was the leader and she wasn't there to support her people. "Hey," Beverly spoke, "let's just get somewhere, alright? One problem at a time."

Before the two can begin their ascent, screaming not far from them grabbed their attention. "Shit!" Marlene exclaimed as she pulled Beverly towards the screaming. "I forgot about Robert!" She takes off limping down the alley towards the screaming. Beverly lets out a sigh of frustration before jogging after her friend and leader. Before they reach another alleyway, a gunshot rings out, silencing the screams. "Fuck." Marlene hisses as she hobbles her way around the corner of a building. She stops in her tracks and Beverly skids to a stop beside the woman. Her eyes land on the bloodied corpse of a man on the ground between a man and a woman.

"Well, there you go - queen Firefly." The man speaks to the woman with his rough voice. 

"Why are you here?" Marlene asked. She leans against the brick wall to relieve any weight she'd be putting on her wounded leg. Beverly takes a step closer to Marlene, cautiously watching the man pacing. 

"Business." The woman answers. Her sunken eyes take in Marlene's bloodied hand, her leg that's dripping with blood, and the sweat that drips from her forehead. Her gaze glances to the woman next to Marlene before turning back to her. "You aren't looking so hot."

With a roll of her eyes, she glances between Beverly and her wound. She grits her teeth before turning her attention back to the two survivors. "Look, I needed Robert alive."

"Those guns he gave you," the woman started, cocking her head to the side, "weren't his to sell." The way she waves her gun around carelessly sets Beverly on edge as she continues to watch the scene, remaining silent. "I want them back."

Shaking her head, Marlene adjusts her weight on her right leg. "It doesn't work like that, Tess." Tess, that name sounded familiar to Beverly. Furrowing her eyebrows, she took in their appearances. They clearly hadn't gotten much sleep, but who had these days? Their clothes were dirty with small splattering of blood and dust covering them. They looked like nearly everyone in this brave new world - survivors.

"The hell it doesn't." Tess practically hissed, taking a step closer to Marlene. 

"I paid for those guns." Marlene glanced over to Beverly. With a soft sigh, the woman rolled her eyes. She knew what that look meant; it meant that Marlene had an idea. Pushing herself away from the wall, she began limping towards the two. "You want 'em back? You're gonna have to earn 'em."

The two in front of her shared a look. The man remained emotionless, deciding to stay silent. With a huff of annoyance, Tess turned back to Marlene. "How many cards are we talking 'bout?"

Letting out a scoff, Marlene shook her head. "I don't give a damn about ration cards. I..." She trailed off, glancing back at Beverly. "We need something smuggled out of the city." Beverly's eyes widened. The only times Marlene had included her were when she knew it was a bad idea. She supposed she was most likely a patsy, a fallback, someone to blame when shit hit the fan. "You do that and I'll give you your guns back and then some.

Before anyone else could speak, the man finally took a few steps forward. His arms crossed his chest as his deep and tired stare bore through Marlene and Beverly. "How do we know y'all got 'em?" Leaning his weight on his left leg, he sized the two women up, looking for any signs of false witness. "Way I hear it, the military's been wiping you guys out."

Both Marlene and Beverly shared a sad look. They had seen countless tragedies in their time with the Fireflies. Their friends and their loved ones executed like barnyard animals or strung up as reminders for those who dared cross the military. "You're right about that." With another sigh, Marlene nodded. "I'll show you the weapons."

The sound of soldiers nearby set the four on edge. They all flinched back, darting their gazes in every direction. "We have to move," Marlene spoke as she limped back, "what's it gonna be?"

The two survivors shared a look before beginning to follow Marlene and Beverly. They made their way through the concrete courtyard and up a small flight of brick stairs. Taking a left through the alley they had just come from, they make their way up to a stack of large wooden crates. A green and rusted ladder dangles just above one of the crates. Beverly grabs Marlene by the waist and boosts her up to the top of the crate before lifting herself up. The two behind her do the same as her and Marlene begin climbing the ladder. Making their way up another flight of stairs, they walk across the rooftop of a small apartment complex.

Before they can move, an explosion goes off in the distance. "Holy shit." Tess scoffs as the two catch up with them. "Is that your people?"

"What's left of them." Marlene answers grimly. 

Beverly looks to her friend with wide eyes. Her bloodied hands tighten into fists as she takes in the lack of emotions in the woman's face. Images of Luke and Rina pass through her mind. Her right hand taps her jean pocket, sighing at the familiar feeling of the nail polish bottle. 

The group makes their way across another rooftop and down towards an open window. "So, why now?" The man asks as he follows closely behind the three women.

"We've been quiet. Been planning on leaving the city but they need a scapegoat. They're trying to rile us up." Marlene answered.

"Looks like they did." He responded, eliciting a soft chuckle from the other woman. That did not go unmissed by both him and Marlene.

"We're trying to defend ourselves." Marlene spoke pointedly, glaring at the woman next to her. Beverly jumps down into the room before holding her arms out to gently help Marlene into the room. The group makes their way over to a large steel blue door. Grabbing the handle, Marlene attempts to pull it open. She grunts in pain as she pulls as hard as she can. Beverly stops her, softly pulling her away from the door.

"You," Beverly points at the man, "help me with the door."

"It's Joel." He responds gruffly as he makes his way over to help her.

"Like Billy Joel or Joel Osteen?"

"Who's that?"

With furrowed eyebrows, she stutters out another question. "Which... Which one? Billy Joel or-"

"I know who Billy Joel is." He responds as they begin pushing the door open. "Who's the other guy?"

"Oh!" She chuckles as they push the door fully open. "He's some creepy preacher from back in the day. Pretty sure he scammed people or something."

With a slow nod, he wiped the dust off of his hands and onto his jeans. "We'll stick with Billy Joel then."

"Good choice." Beverly chuckled as the group made their way through the door and down a set of stairs. As they make their way down the stairs, Joel takes notice that the woman in front of him begins lowly humming a song. The closer he listened, the more he could recognize. We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel. He let out an almost silent chuckle as he followed the group.

He had to admit, she was an odd one. She didn't quite strike him as a Firefly member, but then what the hell was doing hanging around Marlene? In his many encounters with Marlene, he had never heard the woman mention a friend by name and he had certainly never met her before today. Maybe she was new? But those scars and her sunken and tired eyes told him different. He'd have to ask Tess about it when he got the chance.

Pushing up against a large wooden crate, Marlene watched a military guard patrol the area. Rolling her eyes, she turned to Beverly with a glare. "Stop humming." She sharply whispered behind gritted teeth. 

"Sorry." Beverly whispered as she reached for her pistol. A soft groan escaped her lips as she remembered leaving it in the old car they had hit the man with. "I dropped my gun at the car."

"What?" Marlene turned with wide eyes. "Are you fucking serious?"

"I had to carry you out of there, what did you fucking expect?"

The two began to argue through whispers, much to the dismay of the two next to them. Tess sighed before pulling out one of her spare pistols and holding it out to the woman. "Let's get this show on the road."


	3. for whom the bell tolls

..⃗. [for whom the bell tolls] 𑁍ࠜೄ ･ﾟˊˎ

WIPING AWAY SWEAT WITH THE BACK OF HER HAND, she stared down at the bloodied and battered corpse. Her bruised and scarred hands gripped the wrench so tight that her rough knuckles began to turn egg white. Breaths escaped her lips in heavy pants as she tried to calm her speeding heart. In her temples, a dull pain began to pulsate. Three pairs of eyes cautiously watch her, waiting for any sign of her mental break. Turning to the small group, she finally regained her breath. "Sorry. I..." She trailed off.

Marlene shook her head, placing her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Let's just get somewhere safe." She leads the group away from the area and into an old and rusted warehouse. She trails behind the rest, still gripping the bloodied wrench. Looking down at it, she winces at the pieces of hair that stick to the end of it. Had she really been that brutal? Furrowing her eyebrows, she attempted to recall it, but found her mind a blank. It was like she saw red and something took over her.

Every now and then, the two survivors in front of her glance back at her with suspicion in their eyes. They lean in, whispering to each other as the group makes their way through the building. Beverly looks down at her feet, not wanting to see them look at her like a monster. "How you holdin' up?" Tess asks Marlene as they exit out of the building.

"Runnin' on fumes." She responds with a grunt of pain. "But I'll make it."

Making their way to another building, the loudspeaker above them began blaring a message. "Attention. Curfew is now in full effect." The female announcer spoke. "Anyone caught outside without proper authorization will be arrested and prosecuted."

The group made their way into another building. "What the hell are we smuggling?" Joel asked with a hesitant tone to his voice.

"We'll show you." Marlene responded as she hobbled up a set of steps. The announcement of curfew repeated, making the rest of the group uneasy. She began trying to push open a large metal door. With a huff of frustration, she turned to Joel and Beverly. "Would you two mind opening this for me?"

Joel glanced warily at the red-haired woman that joined his side. There were dried spatters of blood on her cheek and chin. The dark circles under her eyes had deepened as did her frown. Setting the wrench down on a nearby shelf, she joined him in shoving the door open. As soon as the door opened, Marlene stumbled to her knees, panting as sweat trickled down her forehead. Beverly knelt down next to the woman in an attempt to help her up.

"Get the fuck away from her!" A girl shouted from their right, charging at them with a small pocket knife. 

The entire group darted their attention to the girl. "Hey, hey, hey!" Tess exclaimed as she shoved the girl back. Her hand clasped the girl's wrist that held the knife.

"Let her go." Marlene spoke through clenched teeth. 

Joel turned to the two women on the ground. His glare was sharp and spiteful. "You're recruitin' kind of young, aren't you?"

Marlene slowly pushed herself off of the ground, clinging to Beverly. "She's not one of mine." As they made their way to a couch to set Marlene down, the girl cursed before making her way over. Her youthful eyes stared in fright at the blood that covered both of the women. "Don't worry." Marlene attempted to calm the girl down. "This is fixable. We got help." Pressing her body against the arm of the couch, she turned to the young girl. "But I can't come with you."

Beverly and the girl furrowed their eyebrows. The girl looked up to Beverly with a curious gaze. "Well, then I'm staying."

"Ellie, we won't get another shot at this." Marlene spoke with her calm yet commanding tone. Her gaze turned to Beverly. "And I still need you for one more mission."

"I thought saving your life was the mission." Beverly mumbled as she made her way towards a window. Part of her knew this would happen. Every day, she would say, 'this is my last one,' but there was always another, and another, and another. Perhaps this was the cycle she was doomed to repeat until the day someone put a bullet in her head. With tired eyes, she looked out over the landscape of abandoned and broken buildings. The sun that slowly slipped behind the horizon gave her a smile and maybe a small glimmer of hope to see her babies again.

"There's a crew of Fireflies that'll meet you at the Capitol building." Marlene spoke. Her gaze turned to Beverly. "Bev here knows the way better than anybody. She can take you."

"No offense," Joel started, his eyes glancing up at the woman at the window, "but I don't feel too comfortable following a woman I just saw beat two guards' heads in with a wrench."

"Don't act like you haven't done anything like that before." Marlene snapped. No matter how many times they had argued, Beverly was still one of Marlene's closest friends and advisers. "She did what she had to do to get us out of there. She's the most trustworthy person I've ever met."

Both Joel and Tess shared a look. "So, we hand her off and then what?" Tess asked with a speculative gaze in her eyes.

"You come back and the weapons will be yours. You'll never have to deal with us again." Marlene let out a soft grunt as she adjusted her weight. "Double what Robert sold me."

Tess scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Speaking of which - where are they?"

"Back in our camp." The woman answered.

"We're not smuggling shit until I see them."

"You can follow me." Marlene spoke as she pushed herself off of the couch. "You can verify the weapons and I can get patched up." Her eyes turned to Ellie. "But she's not crossing to that part of town." Her tired gaze moved to look to Joel before moving to Beverly, who still watched out the window. "I want Joel and Bev to watch over her."

"Whoa, whoa. I don't think that's the best idea." Joel spoke.

"Bullshit! I'm not going with him!" Ellie exclaimed.

Beverly remained silent at the window. Her tan arms crossed over her chest as she watched the red sun make its journey behind the horizon. She didn't care what Marlene told her to do. As long as it got her home to Luke and Rina, she would do whatever. Her interactions with Ellie had been sparse, but she knew that her and Rina had gotten along the few times they had been together. It was rare for Rina to leave the compound but the few times she had to go with Beverly to learn how to hunt or how to shoot, she had always been paired up with Ellie.

"I suppose this is my one last mission?" Beverly broke her silence to ask Marlene.

"Look," Marlene started with a pleading look in her eyes, "you help them to the Capitol building, join the Fireflies there, and when I get there, you're free to go."

Nodding, Beverly turned her attention back to the window. Something in her told her that it wouldn't be that easy; things with Marlene never were.

"How do you know them?" Ellie asked Marlene.

"I was close with his brother, Tommy."

The name grabbed Beverly's attention. She spun her body around quickly to face the group. "You're Tommy's brother?" She asked through a rough and hoarse voice. Her bloodshot eyes were wide with surprise. When the man nodded, she chuckled before pulling her backpack off and beginning to rummage through it. After a moment of all eyes on her, she pulls out a Polaroid photo. "I took this at the Christmas party we had a couple years ago before he ditched. If you ever see him again, show this to 'im."

She approached Joel and held the photo out to him. His fingers gently took the photo, holding it up for him to view. In the photo, his brother was wearing a Santa hat while kissing a mannequin under a mistletoe. From the bottle of whiskey he held in his hand, it was obvious that Tommy wasn't quite sober when the photo was taken. A small smile grew on his lips as he let out a silent chuckle. A ping of remorse filled him the more he looked over the photo. He missed his younger brother more than he thought he would. He thought maybe keeping it out of mind, he wouldn't feel as bad, but seeing this photo stirred up every emotion he thought he had buried long ago. Looking up, he gave a nod. "Thanks," Joel spoke before putting the photo in his jean pocket.

"Look," Beverly spoke, her eyes still on Joel, "I'm sorry for what happened back there with the guards. I... I'd say it won't happen again, but I hate breaking my word. This is my last mission before I'm out of here for good with my kids. Why would I try to fuck all that up?"

Marlene shifted her weight, glancing down at her feet. It was a small gesture but did not go unnoticed by Beverly. "She's good people." Marlene spoke up, tearing her gaze from the floor back to Joel.

Tess stepped towards Joel, grabbing his arm to pull his attention to her. "Look, just take them to the north tunnel and wait for me there."

With a groan, Joel rubbed his face. "Jesus Christ." He mumbled.

"She's just cargo, Joel." Tess reasoned. The sentence put a sour taste in Beverly's mouth. Maybe the woman was right, but with the girl right there, it seemed a bit... rude. But she got it. No attachments. That was a grand rule for life, if she were being honest.

As Ellie raised concerns to Marlene, the woman was quick to shut her down. "You know Bev. You can trust her. I trust them both. You'll be fine." Pushing herself towards the door, she gently squeezed Ellie's shoulder in reassurance. "Now go with them."

Joel turned to Tess. His finger pointed directly in her face. "Don't take long." His gaze turned to Ellie. "You stay close." Making his way towards the back door, he opened it slowly to check for any hostiles. At the sight of none, he lead the two girls out of the building, leaving Tess and Marlene alone.

"Y'know, Beverly is a ticking time bomb." Tess spoke quietly the moment the door had closed. "Has been since you took her on."

"I know, I know." Marlene nodded. "But she's got a cause to fight for." With a grunt, she squeezed her wound in an attempt to slow the bleeding even more. "And she's a damn good fighter."


End file.
